What do you think?
Rate this book
Gideon #7
Gideon's Fire
Commander George Gideon of the Scotland Yard is met at the office one morning with news of a sex maniac on the loose and a fire in an old tenement building south of the Thames. Two separate crimes of stunning savagery -- a fourteen-year-old girl raped and murdered, and a family of seven wiped out by an arsonist.
299 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
6 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Marric
42 books19 followersA pseudonym used by John Creasey.
The Gideon series was continued after Creasey's death by William Vivian Butler.
The Gideon series was continued after Creasey's death by William Vivian Butler.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Want to read
January 17, 2019Pseudonym of John Creasey.
Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard has to deal successively with news of a mass murderer, a depraved maniac, and the deaths of a family in an arson attack on an old building south of the river.
Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard has to deal successively with news of a mass murderer, a depraved maniac, and the deaths of a family in an arson attack on an old building south of the river.
September 13, 2016
Another of the five books read from my 1962 list in August was this Scotland Yard mystery, winner of the 1962 Edgar Award. J J Marric was a pen name used by John Creasy, who was so prolific that he wrote under 18 different pseudonyms and published over 600 mysteries! Gideon's Fire is the eighth of 22 books in his Gideon Series.
George Gideon is the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard. He has a wife and four children, all of whom he loves dearly and who also feature in the book, but it is his job that he devotes himself to and that defines him. Conscientious, honest, a good leader, but perhaps a bit overly hands-on with the cases.
He arrives at work an unusual 30 minutes late to learn that a terrible fire the previous night had killed an entire family, leaving many other tenants burned and in shock after their whole tenement building was consumed. Adding in the rape/murder of a 14-year-old girl and two other time sensitive investigations, the man has his hands full.
As the story progresses, the fire turns out to be one of many, probably set by a psychotic arsonist. One of the murder cases begins to look like the work of a serial killer. In fact, the plot blows up like a raging fire. By the third chapter the reader is living all the stress right along with Gideon.
Though it is a rather standard police procedural, Gideon's Fire has a couple unusual features. The criminals in each case are included as characters with their own actions and thoughts covered by the same third person narrator. Thus the reader gets the story from both sides, adding even more tension.
In the end the Yard's Criminal Investigation Department prevails but there are deaths and disasters along the way. Gideon feels bad about those, as any good law enforcement professional would. In fact, the author makes you feel bad too as he takes you into Gideon's mind.
Another different feature though is that this man is not cynical, he is not being beaten down by his job or any of his superiors or even by the prevalence of crime in the vast city of London. He knows what the odds are, he knows he is competent, and he stays on top of the game. Refreshing I thought.
George Gideon is the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard. He has a wife and four children, all of whom he loves dearly and who also feature in the book, but it is his job that he devotes himself to and that defines him. Conscientious, honest, a good leader, but perhaps a bit overly hands-on with the cases.
He arrives at work an unusual 30 minutes late to learn that a terrible fire the previous night had killed an entire family, leaving many other tenants burned and in shock after their whole tenement building was consumed. Adding in the rape/murder of a 14-year-old girl and two other time sensitive investigations, the man has his hands full.
As the story progresses, the fire turns out to be one of many, probably set by a psychotic arsonist. One of the murder cases begins to look like the work of a serial killer. In fact, the plot blows up like a raging fire. By the third chapter the reader is living all the stress right along with Gideon.
Though it is a rather standard police procedural, Gideon's Fire has a couple unusual features. The criminals in each case are included as characters with their own actions and thoughts covered by the same third person narrator. Thus the reader gets the story from both sides, adding even more tension.
In the end the Yard's Criminal Investigation Department prevails but there are deaths and disasters along the way. Gideon feels bad about those, as any good law enforcement professional would. In fact, the author makes you feel bad too as he takes you into Gideon's mind.
Another different feature though is that this man is not cynical, he is not being beaten down by his job or any of his superiors or even by the prevalence of crime in the vast city of London. He knows what the odds are, he knows he is competent, and he stays on top of the game. Refreshing I thought.
May 31, 2019
George Gideon is Amazing.
I chose this book after reading that James Elroy, one of my favorite writers, thought highly of J.J. Marric’s work. Gideon’s Fire is fast paced, the kind of thriller that keeps you turning pages and finishing a book in one sitting. At the same time, it is a police procedural peopled by three-dimensional characters you come to know and care about. Very enjoyable first of a series, and worth pursuing.
I chose this book after reading that James Elroy, one of my favorite writers, thought highly of J.J. Marric’s work. Gideon’s Fire is fast paced, the kind of thriller that keeps you turning pages and finishing a book in one sitting. At the same time, it is a police procedural peopled by three-dimensional characters you come to know and care about. Very enjoyable first of a series, and worth pursuing.
Want to read
March 31, 2019Synopsis: Commander Gideon hears of a sex maniac, a tenement fire, a girl raped and murdered, and a family wiped out by an arsonist. Related?
March 29, 2008
This was the first of the Edgar winners for Best Novel, reading in order, that I knew I had actually read before, as I went through the whole Gideon series back in the 1970s. Along with Ed McBain's 87th Precinct books, I think these were
what started my love for police procedurals. In GIDEON'S FIRE, Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard must coordinate investigations
into: a string of arson fires in slum housing; a case of stock fraud; a man who is suspected of killing two former mistresses and who now has a
new mistress; the rape-murder of a young girl in her own home; and a bank robbery where the catspaw is in prison but the mastermind remains
at large. There is also trouble at home with one of his six children.
Marric masterfully weaves all these plot lines together and ties them up satisfyingly at the end. One thing that is unusual about this series is that the protagonist is of such high rank, and seems to get along well with both superiors and subordinates. At least, this is unusual in the
current world of police procedurals.
In all the cases, we see not only the investigation from the police
viewpoint, but also from the viewpoints of the perpetrators and indeed of some of the victims and their families. I don't always care for this
device but in this case, I believe it added a lot to the book.
We noticed (my husband is reading along with me) that in the book, the 1962 Edgar winner, Londoners were still dealing with the aftermath of World War II in a way that Americans had left far behind by then. Not that we didn't have slums, but I think they were attributable mostly to greedy landlords and not to an actual inability to replace crumbling buildings fast enough.
It's interesting to me to speculate what may have happened between 1961 and 1962 to make the winners so different. GIDEON'S FIRE is an
excellent mystery but makes no pretensions to be other than what it is -- one of a series of novels with the same protagonist, with all the
pluses and minuses that entails. No one would ever say it "transcends the genre" and that's fine with me.
what started my love for police procedurals. In GIDEON'S FIRE, Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard must coordinate investigations
into: a string of arson fires in slum housing; a case of stock fraud; a man who is suspected of killing two former mistresses and who now has a
new mistress; the rape-murder of a young girl in her own home; and a bank robbery where the catspaw is in prison but the mastermind remains
at large. There is also trouble at home with one of his six children.
Marric masterfully weaves all these plot lines together and ties them up satisfyingly at the end. One thing that is unusual about this series is that the protagonist is of such high rank, and seems to get along well with both superiors and subordinates. At least, this is unusual in the
current world of police procedurals.
In all the cases, we see not only the investigation from the police
viewpoint, but also from the viewpoints of the perpetrators and indeed of some of the victims and their families. I don't always care for this
device but in this case, I believe it added a lot to the book.
We noticed (my husband is reading along with me) that in the book, the 1962 Edgar winner, Londoners were still dealing with the aftermath of World War II in a way that Americans had left far behind by then. Not that we didn't have slums, but I think they were attributable mostly to greedy landlords and not to an actual inability to replace crumbling buildings fast enough.
It's interesting to me to speculate what may have happened between 1961 and 1962 to make the winners so different. GIDEON'S FIRE is an
excellent mystery but makes no pretensions to be other than what it is -- one of a series of novels with the same protagonist, with all the
pluses and minuses that entails. No one would ever say it "transcends the genre" and that's fine with me.
March 11, 2013
In 1959 while visiting London for the first time, I discovered John Creasey’s mystery series featuring “The Toff”. Recently, I read a review of GIDEON’S FIRE (ISBN 0755114043, trade paperback, $14.95) by Creasey and bought a copy through my local Indie bookstore. John Creasey published more than 600 books using 28 pseudonyms including J.J. Marric who was originally listed as the author of GIDEON’S FIRE (an Edgar Award winner). Creasey died in 1973 so no new titles will be coming (I think). He wrote many Britain based mystery series as well as westerns and romances.
George Gideon works in New Scotland Yard as the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department. In this book, there are several story lines to be followed – serial arson (murder included), stock fraud, a serial murderer and a rapist/murderer. Gideon does not solve the crimes himself but directs various members of his department in the investigations. For the most part, we know who the criminals are but watching how Gideon and his staff find them is intriguing.
Gideon is human, too, having a wife and kids. He deals with family issues while doing his job as well. The characters are wonderful. The good guys could be your friends. The bad guys are really bad but not necessarily evil (some are). You get a great picture of London in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Gideon is using the technology available at that time – no computers, no cell phones (two-way car radios instead), telephones (including phone booths with working phones), newspapers, radio and television.
The books may be hard to get but a your local independent bookstore will give it a good shot. Go! Buy! Read!
George Gideon works in New Scotland Yard as the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department. In this book, there are several story lines to be followed – serial arson (murder included), stock fraud, a serial murderer and a rapist/murderer. Gideon does not solve the crimes himself but directs various members of his department in the investigations. For the most part, we know who the criminals are but watching how Gideon and his staff find them is intriguing.
Gideon is human, too, having a wife and kids. He deals with family issues while doing his job as well. The characters are wonderful. The good guys could be your friends. The bad guys are really bad but not necessarily evil (some are). You get a great picture of London in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Gideon is using the technology available at that time – no computers, no cell phones (two-way car radios instead), telephones (including phone booths with working phones), newspapers, radio and television.
The books may be hard to get but a your local independent bookstore will give it a good shot. Go! Buy! Read!
December 5, 2012
Two things I loved about this book: it wasn't just one crime, there were five, and they way the author made his characters so very three dimensional. Reading this was feeling as though these are real people, and for a few days I was walking beside them, working the cases, seeing the process. You don't just know that Gideon is married and a father. You're involved in his life. You learn details about his staff that make them more than just background characters. I didn't feel that having more than one crime became hard to follow or that the investigation details were lacking. Only a 160 page story, but I really got a great return for time spent. I'm looking forward to reading more about Gideon!
December 4, 2020
Have you ever had a day when your schedule is packed to the brim, and making matters worse, every meeting seems to run ten minutes late, while the next one up seems to start ten minutes early? That’s essentially every day for Scotland Yard chief George Gideon. In Gideon’s Fire we’re given a week-long glimpse into the life of this man, as he manages London’s police headquarters.
This isn’t really one of those police stories built around rising suspense as the cops slowly narrow in on their man. Rather, the essence of the novel lies in the whirlwind of everything Gideon takes on everyday at work. The titular arsonist is only one of a cast of antagonists committing crimes around the city. Assigned to every crime is a detective, and leading and consulting each detective is George Gideon; no cop does anything without first running it by - and most of the time receiving detailed direction from - him. The book is in many ways a lesson on people management.
Just as the book isn’t a suspense, it’s no mystery either. Very early on we’re introduced to all the criminal elements of the novel, and the story regularly drops in on each throughout. This does, however, work to good effect, as in mostly every case, each villain has a detective hot on his trail who knows he’s identified his man, but most hold off making an arrest for lack of evidence, much to his chagrin. The one holding the reins on all his detectives is of course Gideon, insisting that they go by the book so as to get an arrest that will stick. In every case, this only creates the question: will his detective gather the final incriminating pieces of evidence before his man commits another crime? This, in turn, only adds another layer of intensity to Gideon’s day-to-day management of the department.
Although quite brief, this is a riveting police procedural, which mostly gets by on the scale of everything going on for our chief character. With that being said, there are some generally edge of the seat moments, one of which seeing the unhinged arsonist loose in London armed with a bicycle and a satchel of dynamite. The book is certainly a product of it’s time and place – 60’s England – but for me, that only added to the charm of everything, as pondering gentleman Gideon comes into the office day in and day out to take on the criminal element of mid century London.
This isn’t really one of those police stories built around rising suspense as the cops slowly narrow in on their man. Rather, the essence of the novel lies in the whirlwind of everything Gideon takes on everyday at work. The titular arsonist is only one of a cast of antagonists committing crimes around the city. Assigned to every crime is a detective, and leading and consulting each detective is George Gideon; no cop does anything without first running it by - and most of the time receiving detailed direction from - him. The book is in many ways a lesson on people management.
Just as the book isn’t a suspense, it’s no mystery either. Very early on we’re introduced to all the criminal elements of the novel, and the story regularly drops in on each throughout. This does, however, work to good effect, as in mostly every case, each villain has a detective hot on his trail who knows he’s identified his man, but most hold off making an arrest for lack of evidence, much to his chagrin. The one holding the reins on all his detectives is of course Gideon, insisting that they go by the book so as to get an arrest that will stick. In every case, this only creates the question: will his detective gather the final incriminating pieces of evidence before his man commits another crime? This, in turn, only adds another layer of intensity to Gideon’s day-to-day management of the department.
Although quite brief, this is a riveting police procedural, which mostly gets by on the scale of everything going on for our chief character. With that being said, there are some generally edge of the seat moments, one of which seeing the unhinged arsonist loose in London armed with a bicycle and a satchel of dynamite. The book is certainly a product of it’s time and place – 60’s England – but for me, that only added to the charm of everything, as pondering gentleman Gideon comes into the office day in and day out to take on the criminal element of mid century London.
April 21, 2020
A solid story by a very prolific and experienced author (John Creasy, in one of his many psudonyms). I enjoyed the main character but it was a bit of a tough read because of the ten or so interwoven subplots and personalities.
There's a firebug in London torching slum buildings. There's a serial killer who is stacking bodies of girls in the same grave in an old quarry. There is a brutal criminal gang working the town. Several other criminal events intertwine.
And since this is more a procedural at a police station rather than a mystery novel, they aren't actually connected, they do not all get solved, and there are coincidences which are unrelated. The story is a bit messy from the perspective of a mystery novel, but if you view it as a few episodes of a long-form TV show its pretty solid stuff.
Just don't expect it all to wrap up at the end.
There's a firebug in London torching slum buildings. There's a serial killer who is stacking bodies of girls in the same grave in an old quarry. There is a brutal criminal gang working the town. Several other criminal events intertwine.
And since this is more a procedural at a police station rather than a mystery novel, they aren't actually connected, they do not all get solved, and there are coincidences which are unrelated. The story is a bit messy from the perspective of a mystery novel, but if you view it as a few episodes of a long-form TV show its pretty solid stuff.
Just don't expect it all to wrap up at the end.
July 30, 2022
The only mystery about this book is how it won an Edgar award. The culprits are revealed early, there is no detective work or police procedure to speak of, and the “action” sequences are nonsensical. This is really just a series of scenes centered on the character of Gideon who is quite unrealistic. I cannot recommend this even to mystery lovers.
October 19, 2020
Just OK - it's an unusual mystery in that the perpetrators are revealed early on. The book centres around the activities and investigations at the police station to solve 3-4 crimes. There's also a surprise personal event in Gidean's family that crops up but is resolved fairly quickly.
July 21, 2021
Giorni turbolenti per Gideon: dovrà districarsi tra una grossa truffa a dei piccoli risparmiatori, un assassino di giovinette e un pazzo piromane pronto a replicare il grande incendio di Londra. Inoltre anche il figlio Matthew gli procurerà non pochi grattacapi..
May 25, 2017
busy police
November 20, 2017
Good Scotland Yard melodrama, like an ensemble television show.
October 4, 2018
I enjoy JJ Marric because he avoids the stereotype of the “wounded hero” as the principal character.
March 16, 2019
There's arson, extortion, unplanned pregnancy and other goodies with a British 50s affect.
June 12, 2020
Brisk, multilayered, almost glossy story; interesting characters, plot resolves itself a bit too easily
January 13, 2021
Story jumps around more than I like. Not a whodunit which I love but a summer blockbuster of a story. Four scattered mini stories turned into a book. Okay book not a classic.
Read
September 10, 2022Sturdy.
January 7, 2023
A novel about a guy who talks on the phone a lot.
May 13, 2024
Enjoyable fast paced read. Pretty entertaining, usual Brit procedural
April 27, 2021
This is a 1961 book by the prolific English crime author John Creasey writing under the pseudonym J.J. Marric. John Creasey is an extremely high output writer who used 28 different pseudonyms in his writing career and produced more than 600 books in multiple popular series such as Gideon, Department Z, and The Toff and The Baron. He is also the founder of the Crime Writers' Association in the United Kingdom, which he founded in 1953. Gideon’s Fire is the 7th book in Creasey’s popular Scotland Yard CID Commander George Gideon series. This book was published in 1961 and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1962. From 1955 to 1976, Creasey wrote 21 books in the Gideon series. After his death, another author (who also uses the J.J. Marric pseudonym) continued the series with another 5 books. I really enjoyed reading Gideon’s Fire. It is a very fast-paced crime mystery, bothering on a thriller. The book is structured like a collection of short vignettes or episodes that jumps from case to case and are written from different parties’ perspective (Gideon, the criminals as well as the victims and their families). The book is very well written and is very well paced. Even though a fair number of cases are involved and the book moves from case to case constantly, Creasey were able to nicely tie things together so they story does not feel disjointed at all. Unlike many police procedures where the main character is the one who goes out and solve the case, Gideon is more a case manager who gives guidance to his subordinates each of whom are the leads on their case.
This book is a police procedural book from the viewpoint of Gideon. It reminds me of American author Ed McBain’s famous 87th Precinct series (which started in 1956, with the first 87th Precinct book published one year after the first Gideon book, Gideon’s Day, in 1955). Both series describe the workings of the police department from the inside, and have multiple cases handled by multiple detectives in the same book.
The setting is the book is in London. The book has basically five cases, with the main case being a demented serial arsonist who set deadly fires to old tenement buildings in slum areas. The other cases include the rape and murder of a young girl in her home; a serial murderer who got rid of his mistresses by murdering them; a bank robbery case led by a creative and murderous leader; and a securities fraud case involving crooks selling shares of a company by falsely claiming the company has found rich iron ore deposits in Central Africa. Creasey, in his realistic way, gave a practical ending to all the cases, including cases that are solved by the police, cases that resolved itself, and cases where the bad guys got away. Creasey also did a good job painting a picture of the human side, including the home lives of cops as well as criminals, and how victims’ families cope with the aftermath of crime.
This book is a police procedural book from the viewpoint of Gideon. It reminds me of American author Ed McBain’s famous 87th Precinct series (which started in 1956, with the first 87th Precinct book published one year after the first Gideon book, Gideon’s Day, in 1955). Both series describe the workings of the police department from the inside, and have multiple cases handled by multiple detectives in the same book.
The setting is the book is in London. The book has basically five cases, with the main case being a demented serial arsonist who set deadly fires to old tenement buildings in slum areas. The other cases include the rape and murder of a young girl in her home; a serial murderer who got rid of his mistresses by murdering them; a bank robbery case led by a creative and murderous leader; and a securities fraud case involving crooks selling shares of a company by falsely claiming the company has found rich iron ore deposits in Central Africa. Creasey, in his realistic way, gave a practical ending to all the cases, including cases that are solved by the police, cases that resolved itself, and cases where the bad guys got away. Creasey also did a good job painting a picture of the human side, including the home lives of cops as well as criminals, and how victims’ families cope with the aftermath of crime.
May 15, 2014
I enjoyed this multi-tasking police procedural. It is well written and accessible.
This is the 7th book in the series, but I was able to jump right into it and go with characters. It is a crime story without being a mystery, though not without surprises. Its only notable short fall is in the rather pat, flippant way it dispatches with what are really some quite shocking crimes and serious issues.
I don't know I would active track down anymore of the books in this series - it was a nice diversion from my normal reading, but has not left any lasting impressions despite the scope it had from the nature of the crimes.
This is the 7th book in the series, but I was able to jump right into it and go with characters. It is a crime story without being a mystery, though not without surprises. Its only notable short fall is in the rather pat, flippant way it dispatches with what are really some quite shocking crimes and serious issues.
I don't know I would active track down anymore of the books in this series - it was a nice diversion from my normal reading, but has not left any lasting impressions despite the scope it had from the nature of the crimes.
August 10, 2017
A rash of slum fires only gains attention when a family dies along with the policeman who was trying to save them. The arsonist, who was trying to avoid taking lives, realizes that it is the deaths that catches the attention of the newspapers, so he makes the decision to kill people in order to achieve his ends. He can manipulate the press by causing the greatest damage and death count possible.
Commander Gideon, trying to anticipate the firebug, is also dealing with a serial killer of seven-year-old girls, and a disgrace in his own family.
Commander Gideon, trying to anticipate the firebug, is also dealing with a serial killer of seven-year-old girls, and a disgrace in his own family.
September 24, 2021
The main focus of this books is a series of fires that are plaguing the city of London, some of which may be the work of an arsonist. Add to that the rape and murder of a fourteen year old, a potential stock swindle, someone who has gotten in the habit of murdering problem mistresses and a bank job which is connected to one a few years ago and Gideon certainly has a plateful at work. Add to this a domestic crisis in Gideon's family. Not all the loose ends are tied up at end of the book just as happens in real life. All in all a decent read.
May 28, 2013
I have read a few of the Gideon's novels, now, and this is one of the best I've read. The storytelling seemed very cinematic; every scene was used efficiently to develop character or advance the fast-moving plot. At the same time, a number of competing plots run in parallel, which would be challenging to pull off in a typical film. With Gideon's Fire one gets a bit of the best elements of both.
I can readily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good cop story.
I can readily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good cop story.
July 13, 2015
Narrated by Hugh Kermode. I've averaged this edition out to a 4-star rating, though the original book I rate 5 stars. This particular installment in the "Gideon of Scotland Yard" series has always been a favourite of mine, and I enjoy Kermode's reading of it, though he slips up here and there, hence the lost star. Still, it makes for a good listen nonetheless.
August 31, 2012
It's been years since I read a GG - George Gideon mystery and had forgot how well crafted they are. I enjoy the fact that people are people, not infallible, that GG's family is an integral part of his life and the story.
I am going to try to find and re-read many of this series.
I am going to try to find and re-read many of this series.
August 22, 2013
I am so glad my local bookseller (Gwenyfar) recommended this book. George Gideon is a wonderful character - a Scotland Yard detective with a family - a fairly normal existence. I am glad that J. J. Marric seemed to write about one of these a year - many more to enjoy.
September 10, 2013
Usual enjoyable read. Never very demanding but always interesting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews